Orzo Stuffed Peppers with Rebar Caesar Salad

Don't ask me where I've been for the past ... oh, month! I HAVE been cooking, I promise! It's just after coming home from holidays, I've gotten into the habit of "taking it easy" so once the labour of making dinner is complete, I admittedly have been RELAXING. Not that it's oh-so-difficult to sit on my exercise ball (making do without a computer chair) and type into this little corner of cyberspace I've found. But it's the flow of the day ... when you get out of step of doing something, it just seems so daunting to add it back in.

Anyway, here I am. And let me reassure you that there is nothing daunting about the following meal. Pure yumminess:


Rebar Caesar Salad (With the addition of Baked Sesame Tofu Croutons), courtesy of Rebar Cookbook:

Recipe - Serves 8:
1 bulb roasted garlic
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp capers
1 Tbsp caper juice
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
extra parmesan for garnish

1. Combine all of the ingredients (except the oil) in a blender and blend. Add olive oil in a slow, thin stream.
2. To serve, toss the dressing with washed, dried and torn romaine lettuce, fresh croutons (recipe to follow) and garnish with shaved Parm and lemon wedges.

Baked Sesame Tofu Recipe:
1x block of extra firm tofu
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp cracked pepper

1. Cut tofu into 1/2" cubes. Toss with remaining ingredients, spread on an oiled baking sheet and back at 350F for 15-20mins.



Orzo Stuffed Peppers, courtesy of Giada's Kitchen, by Giada de Laurentiis:

Recipe - serves 4 to 6:
1 (28oz) can whole Italian tomatoes
2 medium zucchini, grated
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano cheese, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 cups low-sodium chicken (or Vegetable) broth
1 1/2 cups orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 sweet bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped basil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400F

1. Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and break them into pieces using your fingertips. Add the zucchini, mint, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes. The orzo will only be partially cooked. Drain the orzo through a sieve, reserving the chicken broth, and add the orzo to the large bowl with the veggies. Stir to combine. Transfer the warm broth to a 3-quart baking dish.
3. Slice the tops off the peppers and remove all ribs and seeds. Cut a very thin slice from the base to help the peppers stand up.
4. Spoon the orzo mixture into the peppers. Place the peppers in the baking dish with the warm broth. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45mins. Remove the foil, sprinkle each pepper with cheese, and continue baking until the cheese is golden, about 15mins (I was in a hurry by this point so I just broiled it for a few minutes). Remove from the oven and carefully transfer the stuffed peppers to serving plates. Garnish with basil, if desired.

Both recipes make enough for left-overs ... and the left-overs taste just as great!